Late-onset retinal degeneration

Late-onset retinal degeneration (LORD) is a rare autosomal dominant ocular disease characterized by onset in the fifth to sixth decade with night blindness and punctate yellow-white deposits between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and Bruch's membrane, progressing to severe central and peripheral degeneration, with choroidal neovascularization and chorioretinal atrophy. LORD is caused by a mutation in the CTRP5 (C1QTNF5) gene, which encodes a short-chain collagen, changing a highly conserved serine to arginine (Ser163Arg). The mutation results in abnormal high molecular weight aggregate formation which may alter its higher-order structure and interactions.